Paul Kearney, explains the elements of learning in an enterprising manner

1. Enterprising Learning
Paul Kearney
Singapore
PowerPoint

2. Matter of degreesMatter of degrees
Enterprise learning simply means that to
a greater degree students use initiative,
resourcefulness and other enterprising
skills in the very way they learn
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

3. Definition # 1Definition # 1
Being enterprising is developing productive ideas and using initiative,
innovation and industry to create something of value – even when
things are difficult and uncertain – and involves the risk of losing
something valuable.
Enterprise is taking advantage of what ‘might be' (possibilities), rather
than accepting what ‘will be’ (fate). Many enterprising people have
a heightened desire to make things happen and sometimes with a
particular style, such as tenacity or flair. In a business setting it is called
entrepreneurialism, but you also need enterprise to run a club, a
household, a good classroom or to help yourself and others.
Paul Kearney
Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn ( www.enterprisingeducation.com)

4. Definition –Definition – the enterprising personthe enterprising person
An enterprising individual has a positive, flexible and
adaptable disposition toward change, seeing it as normal
and as an opportunity rather than a problem. To see
change in this way, an enterprising individual has a
security born of self-confidence, and is at ease when
dealing with insecurity, risks and the unknown. An
enterprising individual has the capacity to initiate creative
ideas... and develop them through into action in a
determined manner.
An enterprising individual is able, even anxious, to take
responsibility, and is an effective communicator,
negotiator, influencer, planner and organiser. An
enterprising individual is active, confident, purposeful, not
passive, uncertain and dependent.
Towards An ‘Enterprising’ Culture Colin Ball, OECD Education Monograph, Paris 1989

5. Enterprise AttributesEnterprise Attributes
Initiative get up and go
Opportunism seeing possibilities
Drive give it your all
Resilience sticking at it
Managing risk taking risks
Innovation finding new ways
Resourcefulness making the most of it
Problem solving fixing problems and trouble
Communication getting message across
Influence persuading others
Teamwork working with others
Learning staying up-to-date

6. Broad and narrowBroad and narrow
Narrow definition i.e. entrepreneurialism, private small
business...
Broader definitions i.e. ‘being enterprising’ in all
aspects of life (including the commercial setting i.e.
entrepreneurialism)
Evidence suggests the goals of
entrepreneurialism can be achieved through
pursuing the broader definition of being
enterprising but not necessarily vice versa.
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

7. Approaches/purposesApproaches/purposes
Education about enterprise
Traditionally, enterprise education has concentrated on giving students
knowledge of the world of work and business, i.e. learning about
enterprise. The focus, however, has been on economics and commerce,
with an exclusive private-sector flavour. It is important to include an
enterprise in the public and community sectors of complex modern
societies.
Education for enterprise
The emphasis is on promoting enterprising behaviour and attitudes
necessary to create, manage or respond to change or opportunities,
wherever they may appear. Again this agenda of disposing young
people favourably towards business in the private sector – needs
expanding.
Education through enterprise
The purpose is using enterprising experiences to learn any part of the
curriculum. Traditionally, however, student-directed experiential learning
has been limited to using ‘mini-enterprise’ activities to achieve business
study outcomes, and even this often happens outside the mainstream
curriculum.
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

8. Caught-taught-boughtCaught-taught-bought
Enterprise is
Caught
through practise and situation (virus)
Taught
providing knowledge eg problem solving-techniques and
project management (injection)
Bought
‘buying’ into attitudes… wanting to be enterprising, seeing
the value’
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn
(www.enterprisingeducation.com)

9. ‘‘The keyThe key’’
Constancy and diversity is the key!
• Teaching in an enterprising way provides the
constancy
• Doing it across the curriculum provides the diversity
Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn from www.enterprisingeducation.com

10. Enterprising pedagogyEnterprising pedagogy
curriculum
Media
Language
ITC
Business
Trans
disciplinary
pedagogy
initiative
innovation
industry
problem
team work
opportunism
projects
properties
Ownership
Experiential
Reflection
Cooperative
what how
why
productivity
employability
empowerment
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

11. Two for oneTwo for one
Teaching in an enterprising way
develops
• enterprising skills
Plus
• quality curriculum outcomes,
because the learning is purposeful,
interesting and authentic
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

12. Matter of degreesMatter of degrees
Enterprise Learning simply means that to
a greater degree pupils use initiative,
resourcefulness and other enterprising
skills in the very way they learn
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

13. 4 properties4 properties
There are more opportunities to learn in an
enterprising way when the learning blends
• ownership (responsibility)
• experiential (first-hand)
• cooperative (social)
• reflective
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

14. RebalancingRebalancing
Responsibility
student teacher
dependent ………………………………… independent
Experience
1st-hand hand
abstract … ………………………….. concrete
Cooperative
planned unplanned
convenient ……..........………… strategic
Reflective
structured accidental
Occasional ……………………..….................. constant
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn
(www.enterprisingeducation.com)

15. The super questionsThe super questions
Every day ask how can I encourage the
learners to
• take more responsibility
• learn first-hand
• learn with and from others
• create lessons for future
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn
(www.enterprisingeducation.com)

16. ( ownership)( ownership)
• Will the students learn more by managing the activity
themselves?
• What am I doing, that the students could be doing
themselves?
• What are the consequences of over-teaching or under-
facilitating?
Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn from www.enterprisingeducation.com

17. (experiential(experiential))
• How can the experience be made more authentic
(realism)?
• What will give the learning usefulness?
• Who else would value the outcome?
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn
(www.enterprisingeducation.com)

18. Reflective learningReflective learning
So whatSo what !!!!
Review what happened?
Reflect what does it mean?
Generalise what is the lesson?
Project what will I do in the future?
How will I stimulate the students to ‘think hard’?
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

19. Cooperative learningCooperative learning
• How can students teach one another?
• How can they work together?
• Who can they work with others, other
than peers?
© P Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn (www.enterprisingeducation.com)

20. ProjectsProjects
Good starting point
• easy to manage
• low resources
• low curriculum impact
• non threatening
• high visibility
But limited
• only some learners participate, some of time
• lacking in ‘constancy’ and ‘diversity’
© Paul Kearney 2010 Enterprising Ways to Teach and Learn